OSRL representatives pleased with response so far

Ms Penelope Bradshaw-Niles, Permanent Secretary(Ag) - Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries (Centre), Mr Alvin La Borde-President of the La Brea Fisherfolk Association (1st from L) and officials from the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries and Petrotrin at the Carat Shed Beach Facility during a walkabout to view possible areas affected by the leaking well in the Gulf of Paria

Representatives from Oil Spill Response Limited, based in Ft Lauderdale, USA, are impressed with Petrotrin’s response to the oil leak in the Gulf of Paria. Three representatives from OSRL flew in to Trinidad on Sunday and today attended the early morning meeting at the Incident Command Centre at Pointe-a-Pierre. OSRL is one of Petrotrin’s partners for oil spill contingencies and has been asked to provide technical advice on the proposed solutions to the leaking well. Other local energy companies have pledged support and are instrumental in the consultation process. While plans are being developed to control the well, booms have been installed at the well site to contain the wax-like substance emitted from the well. The material is then being retrieved with skimmers.

Following this morning’s meeting, there were aerial and marine surveillance exercises and break-out brainstorming sessions. Permanent Secretary (Ag), Penelope Bradshaw-Niles and a team of officials from the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries attended the meetings of the incident command team and later visited the beaches in La Brea where, on Saturday, it was reported that material had come ashore.

In La Brea, she met with President of the La Brea Fisherfolk Association, Alvin La Borde, who confirmed that after the initial sighting on Saturday, much of the deposits had washed back out to sea. None of the material was visible on the beach at the time of the visit and there were sea bathers in the water. Surveillance will be continued along the shoreline and a “strike team” is being deployed to deal with any adverse impact.